By Paul Bodnar for The Huffington Post.

As President Obama noted on his recent trip to Alaska, urgent action on climate change is essential for the health, security and well-being of Americans and people around the world. That’s why we’ve been taking unprecedented actions to reduce our own emissions at home while working with the international community to build a durable framework for reducing emissions globally.

We now have an opportunity to take a big step toward the goal of an ambitious and effective global framework for addressing climate change. In less than a month, more than 190 countries will converge in Paris to finalize a new global climate agreement. We’ve learned the lessons of previous rounds, including the importance of encouraging countries to take the lead in developing their own targets for curbing emissions and putting those plans forward early.

But an ambitious agreement in Paris would be a turning point. It would show countries that if they act, their partners and competitors will do so as well.

This strategy has been highly successful so far. The emphasis on transparency and nationally-determined ambition has pushed countries to put their best foot forward and make clear how they’re contributing to securing a sustainable world for future generations. We now have post-2020 climate action pledges on the table from more than 150 countries representing nearly 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.